Duke. Michigan State. Butler. West Virginia. They are the 2010 Final Four.But...What if instead of the Final Four, these four teams were the personifications of Stan ("The Man") Lee and Jack ("King") Kirby's greatest creation...The Fantastic Four?

Duke as...Mister FantasticIt's easy to see Mike Krzyzewski in the role of Reed Richards, the analytical leader of the FF. If he acts like he's smarter than anybody else in the room, it's because he is. Maybe Mr. Fantastic brains overshadow his not-to-be-taken lightly stretching powers. But in many ways that's how Duke is in real life, with Coach K's coaching skills overshadowing his teams playing skills at times.

Michigan State as...The ThingIf there's a first rule in March Madness bracketology it has to be "Don't bet against the Izzo." Many have and their brackets look like Ben Grimm smashed right through them. The Thing can sometimes get overlooked with powerhouses like the Hulk, Thor, and Iron Man running around. In the same way Michigan State can mistakenly be written off in a field than includes Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse. That's always a huge mistake. Tom Izzo can rally the troops just like Ben Grimm can rally the FF with his battle cry "IT'S CLOBBERING TIME!" (Yes, that had to be in all capitals.) The Thing never gives up, and he's always ready to come after you with both fists ready to fight.

Butler as...The Human TorchAh, Johnny Storm. The young hotshot who blazes a trail of glory. Okay, The Human Torch might not seem the underdog that Butler is to you, but have you ever taken a look at Johnny Storm's love life? Crystal, his first girlfriend, dumped him for the Magneto's kid Quicksilver (though they didn't know that at the time and...oh I digress too much). Then his next steady girl, Frankie Raye, dumped him for planet eating Galactus, of all people. Then he finally got lucks and married Alicia Masters, the Thing's ex-girlfriend. Only it turned out she was really a shape changing Skrull and...well, you get the picture. But as you can see the Torch does have a bit of underdog streak in him. And like the Torch, Butler can very soon find out what happens when you "Flame On!" too soon.

West Virginia as...The Invisible WomanWell, somebody had to be Sue Storm Richards. I guess it sucks being West Virginia this time. But seriously, like the Invisible Woman (as she's been called since 1985. Use "The Invisible Girl" at a fanboy and see what happens) West Virginia can be taken lightly a lot of the time. Whereas the Invisible Woman's power to turn herself invisible (duh!) can seem underwhelming at times, her ability to generate force fields can sometimes be as formidable as any of the other powers of the FF. So too is West Virginia's defense, which was able to hold back even Kentucky. Doctor Doom learned about the Invisible Woman the hard way too.

Imagine what the Fantastic Four would be like on the basketball court. Imagine what the Final Four could do combined against the likes of Doctor Doom or the Mole Man. The imagination just quivers at the thought.

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Duke. Michigan State. Butler. West Virginia. They are the 2010 Final Four.But...What if instead of the Final Four, these four teams were the personifications of Stan ("The Man") Lee and Jack ("King") Kirby's greatest creation...The Fantastic Four?

Duke as...Mister FantasticIt's easy to see Mike Krzyzewski in the role of Reed Richards, the analytical leader of the FF. If he acts like he's smarter than anybody else in the room, it's because he is. Maybe Mr. Fantastic brains overshadow his not-to-be-taken lightly stretching powers. But in many ways that's how Duke is in real life, with Coach K's coaching skills overshadowing his teams playing skills at times.

Michigan State as...The ThingIf there's a first rule in March Madness bracketology it has to be "Don't bet against the Izzo." Many have and their brackets look like Ben Grimm smashed right through them. The Thing can sometimes get overlooked with powerhouses like the Hulk, Thor, and Iron Man running around. In the same way Michigan State can mistakenly be written off in a field than includes Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse. That's always a huge mistake. Tom Izzo can rally the troops just like Ben Grimm can rally the FF with his battle cry "IT'S CLOBBERING TIME!" (Yes, that had to be in all capitals.) The Thing never gives up, and he's always ready to come after you with both fists ready to fight.

Butler as...The Human TorchAh, Johnny Storm. The young hotshot who blazes a trail of glory. Okay, The Human Torch might not seem the underdog that Butler is to you, but have you ever taken a look at Johnny Storm's love life? Crystal, his first girlfriend, dumped him for the Magneto's kid Quicksilver (though they didn't know that at the time and...oh I digress too much). Then his next steady girl, Frankie Raye, dumped him for planet eating Galactus, of all people. Then he finally got lucks and married Alicia Masters, the Thing's ex-girlfriend. Only it turned out she was really a shape changing Skrull and...well, you get the picture. But as you can see the Torch does have a bit of underdog streak in him. And like the Torch, Butler can very soon find out what happens when you "Flame On!" too soon.

West Virginia as...The Invisible WomanWell, somebody had to be Sue Storm Richards. I guess it sucks being West Virginia this time. But seriously, like the Invisible Woman (as she's been called since 1985. Use "The Invisible Girl" at a fanboy and see what happens) West Virginia can be taken lightly a lot of the time. Whereas the Invisible Woman's power to turn herself invisible (duh!) can seem underwhelming at times, her ability to generate force fields can sometimes be as formidable as any of the other powers of the FF. So too is West Virginia's defense, which was able to hold back even Kentucky. Doctor Doom learned about the Invisible Woman the hard way too.

Imagine what the Fantastic Four would be like on the basketball court. Imagine what the Final Four could do combined against the likes of Doctor Doom or the Mole Man. The imagination just quivers at the thought.